Staff profile

Mike Nicholson joined the Business School full-time in 2001, following a successful career in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) marketing.  As Professor of Strategic Marketing in our Management and Marketing Department, his area of expertise lies in the nature and cultivation of influence, together with the role this can play in delivering sustainable competitive advantage.

A psychologist by background, a particular feature of Mike’s work is the research and application of techniques from the behavioural sciences in developing a better understanding of influence.  At the level of the organisation, he helps familiar everyday brands leverage behavioural insights to create hight-impact influencer marketing strategies that stand out in today’s hyper-distracting landscape.  At the level of the individual, he combines both traditional and behavioural science research approoaches to unpack deep insights into consumer interactions with the products and services of everyday life, and with the marketing of those products and services.  And situated between the two, Mike works with a number of leading social media influencers and creators, experimenting with ways of harnessing behavioural insights in the crafting of more impactful marketing content and integrated brand ambassador programmes.

An award-winning educator, Mike makes contributions across the Department’s portfolio, from undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to our executive education provision and research student supervision.  Beyond Durham, he is an External Examiner for both Warwick and Regents Universities, as well as a long-standing Specoial Educational Advisor to the Office of the Ombudsman for United Nations Funds and Programmes.  And as a sight-impaired person himself, Mike is also a passionate disability advocate, as well as a regular writer, commentator and speaker on inclusive marketing and accessibility-related issues.

• The Psychology of Persuasion
• Influencer Marketing and Content Creation
• The Behavioural Economics of Consumer Choice
• The Presentation of Self in Social Media Life
• Disability, Accessibility and Inclusive Marketing

Conference Paper

• Xiao, S., Iyer, G., & Nicholson, M. (2013, December). Impulsivity and Impulse Buying: A Cross-National Examination. Paper presented at EMAC 2013 Conference, ITU., Istanbul, Turkey
• Nicholson, M., & Xiao, S. (2009, June). Social Marketing: Contributions from Evolutionary Psychology. Paper presented at International Symposium on Social Marketing and Behavioural Change, Durham University
• Nicholson, M., & Xiao, S. (2008, September). Symposium: Old Wine in New Bottles? Social Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Analysis. Paper presented at British Academy of Management Conference, Harrogate, UK
• Nicholson, M., & Xiao, S. (2007, September). Evolutionary Psychology and the Behavioural Perspective Model. Paper presented at 1st International Symposium on Consumer Behaviour Analysis, Cardiff, UK
• Xiao, S., & Nicholson, M. (2007, July). in a Non-deceptive Counterfeit Marketplace. Paper presented at 5th International Conference on Business, Economics, Management & Marketing., Athens, Greece
• Nicholson, M., & Xiao, S. (2007, July). Consumer Channel Choice as an Operant Process. Paper presented at 5th International Conference on Business, Economics, Management & Marketing., Athens, Greece
• Xiao, S., & Nicholson, M. (2007, December). Luxury for the Masses: An Exploratory Study on New Luxury Brands Consumption in China. Paper presented at 3rd Annual Colloquium of the Academy of Marketing's Brand, Corporate Identity and Reputation Special Interest Group., London, UK
• Xiao, S., & Nicholson, M. (2004, July). Faking It! Consumer Behaviour towards Counterfeit Goods in China. Paper presented at 2nd International Conference on Business, Economics, Management & Marketing., Athens, Greece
• Hindmarsh, S., & Nicholson, M. (2004, December). Toys for Boys and the Girl Game Jinx: Sex differences in computer gaming. Paper presented at 2nd International Conference on Business, Economics, Management & Marketing., Athens, Greece
• Nicholson, M., Clarke, I., & Blakemore, M. (2001, June). Multichannel Consumer Behaviour in the Retail Fashion Sector. Paper presented at 11th International Conference on Research in the Distributive Trades., Tilburg, NL

Journal Article

• Obeidat, Z., Xiao, S., Iyer, G., & Nicholson, M. (2017). Consumer Revenge Using the Internet and Social Media: An Examination of the Role of Service Failure Types and Cognitive Appraisal Processes. Psychology and Marketing, 34(4), 496-515. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21002
• Iyer, G., Xiao, S., Sharma, A., & Nicholson, M. (2015). Behavioral issues in price setting in business-to-business marketing: a framework for analysis. Industrial Marketing Management, 47, 6-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2015.02.001
• Xiao, S., & Nicholson, M. (2011). Mapping impulse buying: a behaviour analysis framework for services marketing and consumer research. The Service Industries Journal, 31(15), 2515-2528. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2011.531123
• Xiao, S., & Nicholson, M. (2011). Consumer consideration of non-deceptive counterfeit goods: a contingency matrix approach. The Service Industries Journal, 31(15), 2617-2631. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2011.529608
• Nicholson, M., & Xiao, S. (2011). Consumer behaviour analysis and social marketing practice. The Service Industries Journal, 31(15), 2529-2542. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2011.531124
• Nicholson, M., & Xiao, S. (2010). On the Evolutionary Bases of Consumer Reinforcement. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 30(2), 127-144. https://doi.org/10.1080/01608061003756356
• Xiao, S., & Nicholson, M. (2010). Trick or Treat? An Examination of Marketing Relationships in a Non-deceptive Counterfeit Market. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 30(3), 247-270
• Gee, R., Coates, G., & Nicholson, M. (2008). Understanding and profitably managing customer loyalty. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 26(4), 359-374. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634500810879278
• Nicholson, M., Clarke, I., & Blakemore, M. (2002). One brand, three ways to shop: Situational variables and multichannel consumer behaviour. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 12(2), 131-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593960210127691

Working Paper

• Nicholson, M., & Xiao, S. (2007). Darwin’s ghost : evolutionary psychology and consumer behaviour analysis
• Nicholson, M., & Xiao, S. (2007). Darwin's Ghost: Evolutionary Psychology and Consumer Behaviour Analysis